How can 12 people be SO stupid?!?

[SinsOfTheFlesh]

The jury spent a whopping 11 hours 'deliberating' (tongue in cheek) before returning a not guilty verdict on all counts except misleading law enforcement.

I am utterly shocked. Even though I felt there was more than enough evidence to support a guilty verdict on First degree murder, I honestly expected the jury to settle for manslaughter instead.

Not for one minute did I think 12 reasonable, intelligent people would entertain the idea of finding her not guilty on all counts. A hung jury with a few holdouts? Maybe. But full consensus on not guilty? What in the hell were they thinking?

http://news.yahoo.com/casey-anthony-...191600480.html

[catnipdipper]

Now that verdict is shocking!

I totally agree and wonder what the jurors will say about it.

[kcbigpapa]

It is a sad day to not see Caylee get the justice that poor little girl so deserved.

[SinsOfTheFlesh]

This might perhaps be an issue that both the conservatives and liberals agree on - this verdict just stinks to high heaven.

[JD Barleycorn]

Their deliberations were shorter than that. Paperwork had to be completed, a foreman chosen, votes taken, etc. Their deliberations probably took 6 or 7 hours and then they wanted to go home. Casey lied to authorities but about what exactly? The Internet search? The lies about a baby sitter? The lies about an "accidental" drowning? I still have to wait until a juror speaks.

[Thequeen]

I was very upset about this.. It is very sad.. Even if it was a true accidental drowning who goes and parties for 31 days after that ..... someone said that she might have got off in court but she wont get off in the streets.. She will make money on a book deal and or movie but she wont be able to live her life in FL or anywhere else for that matter nor get a job. She in some ways would be safer in jail. The fact that she already sereved time they are saying she might not have to go back and do any other time for the guily verdit for lying...

[Guest052813-01]

The dynamics of the jury room differ from one trial to another. Usually there are no guidelines, other than the judge's instructions, and every person has their own definition of "reasonable" doubt. Without being privy to the deliberations, there's no way to know who's testimony was considered and who's was discarded. There's also no way to know what evidence was considered and what was deemed irrelevant.

[MsElena]

CA and FL should be proud of their justice system. I don't know which state has the more fucked up system where people can just get away with murder.

I hope to god that the so called mother of that beautiful little girl and her stupid parents go into hiding.

Sad....just sad.

[CuteOldGuy]

This is not the jury's fault. (And it's not mine either.) The prosecution did a piss poor job. They rivaled the incompetence of the OJ jury. There is no logical doubt that Casey did the crime, but the prosecution left acres of reasonable doubt. Given what the jury had to work with, they returned the only verdict they could.

Remember, she wasn't declared innocent, she was found not legally guilty due to the fact that the prosecution did not prove her guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

The system is still better than determining guilt by mob or Headline News. Our Founders valued liberty so much, they established a system where in order to take someone's liberty away, there needs to be a very high standard of proof. We would rather let the guilty go free, than wrongly imprison one innocent person.

If you are ever on trial - guilty or innocent - you will want that same standard applied to you. We can't let the government convict people on a lesser standard. It would endanger us all.

[deacon]

they had to prove her guilty with out doubt. hard ta do without a witness. or dna or a murder weapon. she is guilty. but the system worked.

[Guest102513-1]

I agree...very surprising verdict...especially with manslaughter being an option

Guess it ultimately came to not meeting the level of beyond reasonable doubt. And
APPARENT??? the jurors took to Biaz warmer personality.

I feel 1st degree was the one....but how they could even find not guily of manslaughter....which would at least seem to play into defense "theory" of accidental death is amazing!

[MsElena]

Originally Posted by CuteOldGuy

This is not the jury's fault. (And it's not mine either.) The prosecution did a piss poor job. They rivaled the incompetence of the OJ jury. There is no logical doubt that Casey did the crime, but the prosecution left acres of reasonable doubt. Given what the jury had to work with, they returned the only verdict they could.

Remember, she wasn't declared innocent, she was found not legally guilty due to the fact that the prosecution did not prove her guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

The system is still better than determining guilt by mob or Headline News. Our Founders valued liberty so much, they established a system where in order to take someone's liberty away, there needs to be a very high standard of proof. We would rather let the guilty go free, than wrongly imprison one innocent person.

If you are ever on trial - guilty or innocent - you will want that same standard applied to you. We can't let the government convict people on a lesser standard. It would endanger us all.

True, not innocent, but all the same......sad verdict.

Yes, our government does convict people on lesser standards. Take a look at some of the trials that happen. Innocent people get screwed in court, guilty people get off and the tax payers get screwed everytime.

[Muffrider]

Better that 100 guilty people go free than one innocent person go to jail. Regardless of why or how, the State simply did not have enough evidence. Too much to speculate about who took her, when, how, what was done, how she died, and on and on.

The hardest thing to do is to honor the law even when you suspect (but can't prove) that she did it.

The jurors did their jobs, and they protected the Constitution for the benefit of wrongly accused people everywhere.

When you reach a verdict like this, you do it for the INNOCENT people who have yet to be wrongly charged by making sure that, no matter what, you don't put an innocent person in jail. The price for that protection is that when there is NOT enough evidence, the accused goes free. Period.

Mom will get what's coming to her. Not now, but eventually. But the system worked.

[deacon]

well said muff.

[bigbirddog]

We only have the information provided by the press - who are, at best, a bunch of idiots. The jury spent weeks listening to evidence; they have full knowledge whereas we have only sensational snippets.

Respect the jurors.